6 Ups And 6 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw (July 30)
4. Ambromance
WWE.com
Meanwhile, Sheamus and Cesaro dished out an ungodly kicking to Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose to help fuel their certain SummerSlam showdown.
The former Shield 'brothers' again grappled with their feelings before 'The Kingslayer' tussled with 'The Celtic Warrior' after receiving a talking down from the titleholders about his continued status as a pariah backstage.
Away from some slightly hokey dialogue and drama school acting, the fibres of the Ambrose/Rollins mistrust storyline are a tonic to WWE's traditionally one dimensional stories. Amidst the tension, 'The Lunatic Fringe' at least doesn't look like a complete idiot, and though Rollins still isn't quite connecting as a top babyface, he is at least experiencing a long road to redemption befitting his heinous crimes three years ago.
Moreover, the company have absolutely crafted a payoff fans want to see. All on the line at SummerSlam, their fragile relationship either survives long enough to win the titles, or potentially crumbles further in possible defeat. An Ambrose turn would be a delicious conclusion to reignite a rivalry, but seeing two thirds of The Shield share a moment of glory before the inevitable twist would be almost as satisfying.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for nearly 10 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years.
As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 65,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast.
He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live.
